iOS 6 Maps Moves Halifax Store to Central Asia

November 2, 2012

If you ask for driving directions to the Halifax Shopping Centre (Canada) Apple store using the Apple Store app, be prepared for a very long journey. Instead of showing turn-by-turn directions, Apple’s much criticized Maps application locates the store in the middle of Kazakhstan, a country almost 5,500 miles east from the actual location. The error was first noted in a Tweet, and is easily explained: the store is actually at 63° west longitude, while the Maps database locates it at 63° east longitude. The latitude for the store is correctly displayed. The Maps app was released September 19th and users almost immediately discovered inaccuracies of various types. Insiders say this week’s dismissal of Sr. V-P iOS Software Scott Forstall was related to the poor accuracy of Maps, whose development he oversaw.

If you ask for directions to the Halifax Apple store using the Apple Store app, the iOS 6 Maps app locates the store in Kazakhstan.

The Halifax store’s address is listed correctly in the Apple Store app, but apparently is geocoded incorrectly in the iOS 6 Maps app.